Psychological egoism

Psychological egoism is the belief or empirically observed fact that all effort, behavior and actions of the people, even the unconscious, ultimately it aims to get his individual happiness or well-being and increase, to realize his own wishes, interests and goals.

All behavioral phenomena can be traced back to this fundamental pursuit of this opinion. This explanation of actual human motivation corresponds to the principle already subscribed by Niccolò Machiavelli, Bernard Mandeville and Adam Smith People images, which accounted for equally selfish goals and passions than the actual drive springs for all human action.

The findings based on modern neurology emotional amoral egoism is represented in the presence of Nayef RF Al- Rodhan.

Although this is the dominant view in the human sciences and in everyday life perceptions of people has wide distribution, there are phenomena that seem to contradict this view, such as altruistic behavior and actions. Representative of psychological egoism try to return these phenomena on selfishness by seeking to provide evidence to show how altruistic behavior, the other aimed at the well, is ultimately motivated only to obtain the self- interest or to increase (→ Reciprocal altruism ).

An example of such an argument would be about: altruistic / charitable behavior ( such as a donation) is in reality the human desire to have a good conscience, or that other people think well of one. The Golden Rule is a formula for success and social agreements in the form of laws serve only to protect oneself against the selfishness of others. This argument can also be a part refutes itself - contradictory. There are the following anecdote about Abraham Lincoln, who argued in favor of psychological egoism, as he discusses excited in a carriage with a gentleman about it. The two drive over a bridge and Lincoln observed at the crossing, as some piglet stuck in the mud on the river bank. The mother of the piglet tries desperately to save this, but is not in a position. Lincoln leans over to the driver and ask him to stop short. He then runs to the shore and freed the piglets. Back in the coach flares up again the discussion and the other passengers thinks that it was but have been the best evidence of altruistic behavior of the people. Lincoln contradicts and says it confirms much more likely that he had only acted selfishly motivated, because it otherwise senseless death of these animals would have been tormented to the end of his days. The contradiction consists in the fact that Lincoln can only train this feeling and the consequent agony when it is in itself already compassionate / thinks. Had he actually exclusively selfish oriented, the compassion could not make out to others.

The term " psychological egoism " refers to a presumed factuality and is not connected with an evaluation.